Keep the promises you make with yourself

January 2, huh, wow time flies! I remember in 2000 when 10-year-old Shaylene thought the world was going to end because of the millennium. How times have changed..

I hope your holidays were everything you wanted them to be and more.

With the start of the New Year, ambition is flowin' all around us. And New Year's resolutions are everywhere like confetti!

Shout out to those of you who made resolutions, I salute you! And I also hate to break the news...

80% of people make resolutions will give up on their goal by mid-February.

Shocking, huh?

Knowing this, I believe it’s important to...

A) Feel the hype of the New Year and set JUICY goals (because it IS exciting!)

B) Have an action plan that sets you up for success beyond the timeframe of your new goal-especially if you have the tendency to fall off after a couple weeks.

Resolutions are about continued accountability and keeping promises to yourself.

Here are 5 things you can do to hold yourself accountable in 2018:

1) Avoid Overcommitting Yourself.Positive vibes are REALLY contagious around the New Year. It’s easy to say “Yes” to every opportunity that comes your way because you're on sensory overload. You want this year to be BIG and it will be if you learn to say “no” to the opportunities that aren’t a 100% "hell yes"!

Ask yourself: Do I have the time/money/energy to do/be/have_________(insert request)? If your answer isn’t a clear-cut yes or no, you’ll likely need to reconsider your options. Commit less and do more.

2) Structure your days.Become disciplined in your schedule tasks and commit to working set hours so you can stay consistent to breed the habit of getting sh*t done. After all, if it’s not scheduled it doesn’t exist.

3) Schedule your breaks.As Stephen Covey say’s “ What is common sense isn’t common practice”. If you think your brain can handle long work sessions, it can. If you want it to perform at it's highest level, take regular breaks. I prefer 50 minutes of focused work then a 10-minute break. This gives me time to stretch, drink water, breathe and move my body so I can continue focusing on the task at hand. Rinse and repeat above all day.

4) Pay attention to your patterns.Past behavior is a predictor of future patterns. Take note of the things that you excel at and celebrate yourself, then pay special attention to the areas that you wish were more successful. To avoid repeating what didn't work in the past, you have to acknowledge it and choose differently for the future.

5) Figure out your motivation style.Identifying what motivates you is key to your long-term success. Internal motivation can be created by external reward and vice versa. Check out the article that Huffington postwrote about motivation styles. Find out your motivation style and keep it at the forefront of your projects and deadlines.

Until next time!

Your Coach, Shaylene xo

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